Virgin Islands National Park

Area

15,052 acres

Established

August 2, 1956

Recreation visits

471,074 / yr

State

U.S. Virgin Islands

Highest point

Bordeaux Mountain, 1,277 ft (389 m)

Lowest point

Sea level, Caribbean Sea

Seven-day outlook at the park's reference point (18.343, -64.742). Elevation changes everything in the mountains — expect colder, windier and wetter conditions on high ground.

Landmarks

• Bordeaux MountainPeak · 1,277 ftThe highest point on St. John, cloaked in the island's moistest forest.
• Caneel BayCoastA sheltered bay near Cruz Bay at the western edge of the park.
• Hawksnest BayCoastA calm north-shore bay with nearshore reefs close to the beach.
• Trunk BayCoastA celebrated white-sand beach with an underwater snorkel trail around Trunk Cay.
• Cinnamon BayCoastA long beach with a campground, sugar-estate ruins, and a small offshore cay.
• Whistling CayIslandA small, uninhabited cay off St. John's north shore.
• Maho BayCoastA shallow bay where green sea turtles graze on seagrass close to shore.
• Francis BayCoastA quiet bay backed by a salt pond that attracts wading birds.
• AnnabergAreaRuins of a sugar plantation with a windmill tower overlooking the channel.
• Waterlemon CayIslandA tiny cay in Leinster Bay ringed by reefs popular with snorkelers.
• Taíno PetroglyphsAreaAncient carvings beside a spring-fed pool on the Reef Bay Trail, where a seasonal cascade spills after rain.
• Reef BayCoastA south-shore bay at the end of the Reef Bay Trail near the ruins of a sugar factory.
• Great Lameshur BayCoastA remote south-shore bay long used for coral reef research.
• Salt PondLakeA hypersaline pond near the island's southeast tip, bordered by cactus scrub.
• Drunk BayCoastA wind-battered, rocky bay facing the trade winds on the island's southeastern tip.
• Hassel IslandIslandA separate park unit in St. Thomas harbor preserving forts and a historic marine railway.

The rocks

• Water Island FormationEarly Cretaceous
  Keratophyre flows, pillow basalt, and tuffs, the oldest rocks of the northern Virgin Islands.
• Louisenhoj FormationCretaceous
  Volcanic breccia, tuff, and basalt with minor shale, chert, and limestone underlying much of the park.
• Outer Brass LimestoneCretaceous
  A thin band of marble and calc-silicate rock separating older and younger volcanic units.
• Tutu FormationCretaceous
  Metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks along the northern coastal part of the park.
• Lameshur Volcanic-Intrusive ComplexCretaceous
  Gabbro, basalt, andesite, and sheeted dikes forming much of southern St. John.
• Quaternary depositsQuaternary
  Beach sand, beachrock, swamp deposits, and alluvium along the shoreline and valley floors.

• 711vascular plant species recorded

• Coral reefsNearshore to offshore waters
  Fringing reefs built by star, brain, and finger corals nearly surround the island, though bleaching, disease, and hurricanes have taken a heavy toll.
• Seagrass bedsShallow sandy bays
  Meadows of turtle grass and manatee grass feed green sea turtles, conch, and juvenile fish.
• Mangroves and salt pondsSheltered shorelines
  Red, black, and white mangroves stabilize shores and shelter young fish, while salt ponds host wading birds.
• Dry tropical forest and cactus scrubWindward south and east slopes
  Among the largest and most intact dry forests remaining in the Caribbean, with Turk's cap cactus and tree cactus on the driest headlands.
• Moist forestUpper north slopes and Bordeaux Mountain
  Taller, denser forest thrives where clouds and rain linger on the island's highest ground.

Trees

• Gumbo limboBursera simarubaKnown for its peeling red bark, a hallmark of the dry forest.
• Red mangroveRhizophora mangleArching prop roots create nursery habitat for fish in sheltered bays.
• Black mangroveAvicennia germinansSends up pencil-like breathing roots from waterlogged mud.
• White mangroveLaguncularia racemosaGrows on higher ground behind the red and black mangroves.
• ButtonwoodConocarpus erectusA salt-tolerant tree at the landward edge of mangrove swamps.
• Sea grapeCoccoloba uviferaRound leathery leaves and grape-like fruit line the beaches.
• ManchineelHippomane mancinellaA highly toxic beach tree; never touch it or shelter beneath it in rain.
• White cedarTabebuia heterophyllaA native tree with pink-to-white trumpet flowers.
• KapokCeiba pentandraA giant, buttressed tree whose seed pods release silky fibers.
• BulletwoodManilkara bidentataA hard-wooded tree of the moist upland forest.
• Water mampooPisonia subcordataA common tree of dry coastal forest with broad, pale leaves.

Wildflowers, shrubs & other plants

• Turk's cap cactusMelocactus intortusA barrel cactus crowned with a red, fuzzy cap on dry, rocky headlands.
• Royen's tree cactusPilosocereus royeniiA tall, columnar cactus of the driest coastal scrub.
• Century plantAgave missionumSends up a single towering flower stalk after years of growth.
• Erect prickly pearOpuntia strictaA spiny pad cactus of seaside thickets.
• Giant airplantTillandsia fasciculataAn epiphytic bromeliad perched on branches in the forest.
• Ball mossTillandsia recurvataA small, tufted bromeliad clinging to trees and wires.
• Turtle grassThalassia testudinumA flowering marine plant forming dense meadows in the bays.
• Manatee grassSyringodium filiformeA seagrass with cylindrical leaves, grazed by green sea turtles.
• Bay hopsIpomoea pes-capraeA beach morning glory whose runners help stabilize sand.
• Black caperCapparis cynophallophoraA shrub of the dry forest with showy, fragrant flowers.
• White stopperEugenia axillarisA common dry-forest shrub whose leaves smell faintly musky.
• Nosegay treePlumeria albaA wild frangipani with fragrant white flowers on dry, rocky slopes.

• 15mammals
• 173birds
• 16reptiles
• 7amphibians

Mammals

• Jamaican fruit batArtibeus jamaicensisBats are the only native land mammals on St. John, and this one disperses the seeds of many trees.
• Antillean fruit-eating batBrachyphylla cavernarumA cave-roosting bat that feeds on nectar, pollen, and fruit.
• Red fruit batStenoderma rufumA rare fruit bat of the northeastern Caribbean.
• Greater bulldog batNoctilio leporinusA fishing bat that rakes small fish from calm bays with its large feet.
• Pallas's mastiff batMolossus molossusAn insect-eating bat that hunts high over the forest at dusk.
• Small Indian mongooseHerpestes javanicusAn introduced predator that preys on ground-nesting birds, lizards, and turtle eggs.
• White-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianusIntroduced to the island and now browsing native forest plants.
• Feral goatCapra hircusNon-native grazers that damage the dry forest and cactus scrub.
• Feral donkeyEquus asinusDescendants of working animals that roam roads and beaches; do not feed them.
• Feral pigSus scrofaNon-native rooting animals that disturb soils and seedlings.

Birds

• Brown pelicanPelecanus occidentalisPlunge-dives for fish in the bays year-round.
• Magnificent frigatebirdFregata magnificensSoars effortlessly on long, angular wings over the coast.
• Brown boobySula leucogasterSkims low over the waves before diving for fish.
• White-tailed tropicbirdPhaethon lepturusTrails long white tail streamers as it nests on seaside cliffs.
• Royal ternSterna maximaA large orange-billed tern that perches on docks and buoys.
• BananaquitCoereba flaveolaA tiny yellow-and-black nectar feeder, the territory's official bird.
• Pearly-eyed thrasherMargarops fuscatusA bold, pale-eyed bird that raids nests and picnic tables.
• Green-throated caribEulampis holosericeusAn iridescent hummingbird of flowering shrubs and gardens.
• Antillean crested hummingbirdOrthorhyncus cristatusA tiny hummingbird with a glittering green crest.
• Lesser Antillean bullfinchLoxigilla noctisMales are black with a rufous throat; common around beaches.
• Zenaida doveZenaida auritaIts mournful cooing drifts through the dry forest.
• Bridled quail-doveGeotrygon mystaceaA shy ground dove of shaded moist forest.
• Mangrove cuckooCoccyzus minorA secretive cuckoo of mangroves and coastal thickets.
• OspreyPandion haliaetusHunts fish over the bays, especially in winter.

Reptiles & amphibians

• Hawksbill sea turtleEretmochelys imbricataA critically endangered turtle that feeds on sponges among the reefs and nests on park beaches.
• Green sea turtleChelonia mydasOften seen grazing seagrass in Maho and Francis bays.
• Leatherback sea turtleDermochelys coriaceaThe largest sea turtle, an occasional visitor to Virgin Islands waters.
• Green iguanaIguana iguanaSuns on branches and rocks near the shore.
• Crested anoleAnolis cristatellusMales flash a dewlap from tree trunks and walls.
• Puerto Rican ground lizardAmeiva exsulA fast, striped lizard foraging in leaf litter on sunny trails.
• Puerto Rican racerAlsophis portoricensisA slender, fast-moving snake of the forest floor that is seldom seen.
• Antillean coquiEleutherodactylus antillensisA tiny frog whose chirping chorus fills warm, humid nights.

Insects & other invertebrates

• Elkhorn coralAcropora palmataA once-dominant shallow reef builder with broad antler-like branches, now federally threatened.
• Staghorn coralAcropora cervicornisA fast-growing branching coral used in the park's reef restoration outplanting.
• Pillar coralDendrogyra cylindrusA rare coral that grows upright columns, severely affected by recent disease.
• Grooved brain coralDiploria labyrinthiformisA massive boulder coral patterned with deep, maze-like grooves.
• Boulder brain coralColpophyllia natansA large dome-shaped coral with broad meandering valleys.
• Mountainous star coralOrbicella faveolataA major framework builder of Caribbean reefs.
• Lobed star coralOrbicella annularisGrows in columns and lobes on shallow to mid-depth reefs.
• Mustard hill coralPorites astreoidesA hardy, yellow-brown mound coral common in shallow water.
• Branching fire coralMillepora alcicornisNot a true coral but a hydrozoan that stings on contact.
• Massive starlet coralSiderastrea sidereaA slow-growing, rounded coral found across the reefs.

Species totals are the park's certified NPSpecies checklist (occurrence: present).

• AcadiaMaine
• BiscayneFlorida
• CongareeSouth Carolina
• Dry TortugasFlorida
• EvergladesFlorida
• Great Smoky MountainsNorth Carolina, Tennessee
• Mammoth CaveKentucky
• New River GorgeWest Virginia

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Sources: www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · irmaservices.nps.gov · en.wikipedia.org · Official NPS site